I've been doing my best to observe as closely as possible (discreetly staring, yes) because I am already making the mistake of walking on the right side of the street instead of the left. It should have been obvious right from the get-go, but apparently my brain wasn't as acute as I thought. It really is fun though to notice unique customs (from my perspective) since I can't wrap my head around that only one hop-and-a-skip-away changes everything.
It's been humbling to sound different than everyone else here. I am privileged in the United States since I'm not usually asked to repeat myself or given side-glances for my mere presence. It would be hard to deal with that every day. I have only had to navigate minor singling-out situations that come from being an obvious American in the UK like sellers on the street pinpointing me out of a crowd or employees asking how long I am visiting--tending to be out of friendliness. Many people deal with the opposite--animosity--when it comes to be being "different" even though it's unfortunate we have a "standard" in the United States.
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The question of the hour... more like of the century: "Why is Shakespeare so special?"
Well, let me tell you. Shakespeare's Resume - challenged gender roles - created a code to break (we like puzzles more than we like to admit) - interweaved romance and political upheaval - popularized lower and middle class entertainment - constructed memorable rhythmic couplets that can easily be quoted - utilized humor and social commentary (why do you think SNL has been around for so long?) - invented vocabulary - reinvented language's role - energized dialogue - mastered sarcasm - questioned authority/aristocracy “Shakespeare had the largest vocabulary of any English writer. This is due not only to his daring and resourceful use of words but also in part to his ready acceptance of new words of every kind” (A History of the English Language, 230). He is of 21st century material. "Dogs must stay on lead and are not allowed to foul the footway."
Ah, the nuances of language! Seeing this sign on my PATHway to my place reminded me of the exact reason why I chose to study English Language Arts. Us humans communicate uniquely all around the world using variations of accents, jargon, symbols, letters, painting, music, dance and more... yet, we communicate nonetheless... all the time! We cannot be 100% sure about history of course, but The Medical Hypotheses journal states the existence of communicative markings on cave walls 30,000 BCE, not even taking into account the development of verbal speech that probably came beforehand. Interestingly enough, being able to speak was one of the key breakthroughs of being considered human and not an animal. When we began to walk upright (bipedalism), our tongues evolved properly to make articulate sounds. Anyway, we're not here to read an essay by Kelly, but the point is: it would be hard to argue against the importance of studying language when it is has been threaded into our humanity since we were created. I'm not saying you disagreed with that fact, it was just a crucial reminder I needed to admit to myself in my journey as an English major. My mission here is to look closely into those differing nuances of language. I have been filled to the brim with literature and education classes the past two years, but I hadn't been given the opportunity to 'slow down' and absorb the words I was reading so fast. The words have been scrambled together by many different other languages, as you obviously know, but what is highly impressive and seemingly mundane most of the time is that the words always have meaning, even if they have changed numerous times. I find that fascinating! Just because we cannot read Middle English as well as Modern English does not discredit the authority of the language of that time. Just because we cannot understand another culture does not discredit the authority of that culture. And so on! Plus, language gives us the ability to create stories, share memories, express opinions, make change, show love, and the list goes on. Language, my friends, creates literature which then creates our culture. It was an a-ha moment I had with my Oxford professor. I'm excited because I keep having a-ha moments and there are probably many more to come in this lively college town. Cheers! It was a beautiful rain. The water was soft against the window, catching my attention from my reading. The onomatopoeias, 'pitter' and 'patter,' could not capture the scene better since the element gracefully splashed upon the surfaces it fell on. You could see the ducks slightly shaking their feathers in the pond and the willow trees providing a slip and side for droplets. I'm drawn to the capabilities my camera can do that our human eyes cannot easily do, like freeze-framing a moment in time that holds so much intensity. I applaud those who can capture an outstanding landscape that you don't want to forget, taking it with you forever and being able to share it with others too. I tend to zero in on minute details that can be enlarged to showcase its worth. The properties of water amaze me in many different contexts. I love how it pools together while leaving canyons of air. And even when gravity takes hold as the drops start to drip, they cling together direly. Leonardo da Vinci was also fascinated by water, which I learned at the Denver Nature and Science Museum, subsequently calling it Earth's "lifeblood." He took those passions into hydraulic engineering. My mom and I couldn't stop comparing this genius to my dad. How fitting!
In total, I still have many more showers to experience in the coming weeks, but I was pleasantly surprised to witness water's grandeur appearance on my porch railing in Oxford, England. I'm thankful for all my friends right now. I walked out of the library, blowing away in the gusts of frigid wind, but I had something to look forward to: a beautifully lit up Christmas tree celebrating a joy that gives people life greeting me through the window and friends who cheer when I walk through the door. I'm cheesy and probably always will be. I had nice, cozy blankets to curl up in and a guy to share them with. I get to share a piece of my heart to people I love because they give me theirs. Now, I have a stained glass heart fitted with lots of different colors of people's love .
It's actually a pretty clear memory for me... sitting down at a school assembly and talking about the word "tolerance." I was kind of appalled. Why would authority figures get up and tell us that we just need to tolerate our peers, not like them, but simply tolerate them.
I was naïve. You can't like everyone. Plus, I was fortunate to grow up in a household that valued other people's opinions. There are students out there who do not know that believing or identifying differently themselves is okay. Teaching tolerance isn't easy. There are thin boundaries. But, allyship really does start with identities. Allyship starts in educational settings, if we let it. I think the author of "Teaching Tolerance" had an imperative point to bring to the table. Just by looking a certain way, students can choose whether to trust an individual or not. Being white might mean to them that you don't know what it's like to be them and that's just one example. Forming a relationship with students will help erase these boundaries. Then, the content of tolerance can go far deeper and wider. If I had to pick one of the main life lessons I've learning while at Colorado State University, I would have to say that everyone has multiple identities. Previously, I talked about the importance of including multiple intelligences and now I want to talk about the importance of multiple identities. I'm not just a student. I'm not just a blonde white person. My friend isn't just a Latina girl. My friend isn't just a sister. We are a marbled mold of lots of different experiences. Yes, even my future students aren't just one identity. Have you ever taken one of those personality tests? At the end they might say, "You are _________. This serves you well in the way that ___________. This is a disadvantage for you if _________." Ultimately, your own strengths have the ability to transform into weaknesses. I feel that Keith Edwards had a similar point to make. His "Aspiring Social Justice Ally Identity Development" article was an interesting read. Edwards talked about how there are various motivations for breaking down oppression.
The general makeup of each ally can be good, but read into it a little more and you see the cracks going right through it. This is cliché, but I believe that I was a little bit of each ally. There was: aspiring ally for self-interest, altruism, and social justice. Of course, the social justice ally is the most effective and moral. But, in the end, I can't put aside the fact that it feels good to have equitable motives in mind, thus the self-interest in me. There is minor guilt in my privilege, bringing out the altruistic side of my allyship with others. However, I value all walks of life and I can't change how I grew up. Lastly, I feel as though I have the potential to be rooted in social justice because I see "the interconnectedness of forms of oppression supporting each other" and I recognize the "need to address intersecting forms." The home of the Rams and the daytime home of myself, Colorado State University offers a Native American Cultural Center that "ensures a successful educational experience for students by providing support and services related to recruitment, retention, graduation, and community outreach. The office embraces and encourages a supportive environment based on the traditions and cultures of Native American peoples." I'm proud to be at a place that has this mission instilled, however it's not always easy to carry through with it entirely. For example, last year we had students in an indigenous community get called on the police by attending a CSU guided tour. What a huge step backward! How can we take a leap forward to improve our allying skills with students in marginalized groups?
The work that the Center for Native American Youth is doing is phenomenal in inspiring younger generations to "create positive change in their communities." Their mission is to address challenges, engage in stakeholders that strengthen support systems, and advocate for Native peers to be vocal and involved. As a future teacher, I want to be aware of resources like these to offer for my students. It is unfortunate that indigenous youth face the reality of disparities in the U.S. such as "poverty and exposure to violence--that can make them susceptible to being arrested, charged, or sentenced in the justice system." Being an ally to students of this marginalized group will require an exemplar of resilience in a depth of social abuse. Students need to know that we are on their side. Okay, there's a crowded classroom in front of you. In fact, you're even over the maximum that should be in a class, but there's a teacher shortage (what a surprise). An administrator starts off the year with a conference about how teachers should be tying in multiple intelligences, especially because students with intellectual and developmental disabilities need different modes of transfer.
What now? The National Writing Project offered a beneficial article about including these intelligences. "It makes sense to address as many of these intelligences as possible" by framing your teaching with a touch of logic, with a touch of linguistics, a touch of music, a touch of spatial and visual representations, a touch of moving around, with a touch global and bigger perspectives, a touch of relational and collaborative activities, and a touch of individual work time. That's exciting to me! I see that list and I start envisioning how I can overlap these intelligences with each other. That my friend, is a dynamic and inclusive classroom, especially for students with cognitive disabilities. |
Greetings!I'm Kelly! I like to find beauty in what might seem mundane to us over time and bring to life what we experience each day. Check out the About Me tab for an additional look at who I am. Archives
July 2019
Taking an image, freezing a moment, reveals how rich reality truly is. |